Violent altercation on Florida golf course leaves one man dead, another facing murder charges
PALM BEACH GARDENS, Florida — A violent altercation at a public golf course this week in Palm Beach Gardens left one man dead and another facing a first-degree murder charge.
Investigators say Junior Boucher, 36, of The Acreage, killed 65-year-old Brian Hiltebeitel, using Hiltebeitel’s own golf clubs to attack him Monday afternoon at Sandhill Crane Golf Club, a city-owned course along Northlake Boulevard west of Florida’s Turnpike. Boucher also choked Hiltebeitel.
During a news conference Tuesday, Palm Beach Gardens Police Chief Dominick Pape said investigators are still attempting to determine a motive for the attack. Pape said Boucher did not appear to have a purpose for being at the golf course and there is no known connection between the two men.
“We’re still looking through the leads,” he said. “We’re still interviewing people at the scene. We don’t know (the motive) yet.”
During a court hearing Tuesday at the Palm Beach County Jail, county Judge Ted Booras assigned Boucher a public defender and ordered that he be held without bail. As a policy, the county Public Defender’s Office does not comment on open cases.
Palm Beach Gardens Police Chief Dominick Pape addresses reporters on Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024, during a news conference regarding a homicide at Sandhill Crane Golf Club. One person was arrested on a first-degree murder charge.
Police: Man facing murder charge tried to flee after golf-club attack
Pape said Boucher’s family had reported him missing to the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office about an hour before the attack, which occurred shortly before 1:30 p.m. Court records show the attack occurred on the same day that a relative filed an eviction notice against Boucher.
According to Boucher’s arrest report, officers responded to multiple 911 calls regarding a man attacking another with a golf club. Upon arriving, officers found Hiltebeitel’s body next to a pond at the golf course and made contact with a partially clothed Boucher as he attempted to flee.
The arrest report did not list a place of residence for Hiltebeitel.
Witnesses told police Boucher began hitting Hiltebeitel with a golf club near the first hole, then retrieved another club and chased Hiltebeitel to the pond. He continued to strike Hiltebeitel until both men were in the water.
Then Boucher jumped on top of Hiltebeitel and appeared to choke him, witnesses told police. A short time later, Boucher got out of the water, stripped his clothes off and began to walk away toward a nearby wooded area, according to the arrest report. Officers said they used an “electronic control device” to detain him.
First responders pulled Hiltebeitel to the banks of the pond and attempted lifesaving care. Fire Rescue medics pronounced him dead.
Authorities took Boucher to Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center for evaluation. He declined to speak to investigators without an attorney present.
Julius Whigham II is a criminal justice and public safety reporter for The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at jwhigham@pbpost.com and follow him on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, at @JuliusWhigham.
